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Monday, February 29, 2016

Innocence & Betrayal by Brittney Sahin

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INNOCENCE & BETRAYAL

Hidden Truths #2

Brittney Sahin

Releasing March 1st, 2016

Reserved biochemist Ava Daniels has
spent the last six months working on a top secret assignment for Homeland
Security. One morning, after a night of finally letting loose, she discovers
her lab empty and her boss missing. Interrogated by the very organization she
works for, followed by unknowns, and attacked, Ava finds herself in search of
answers as the clock winds down.

Aiden O’Connor, Irish born and
raised, attempted to put his past behind him when he opened a bar in the heart
of Boston. Until one night, when Ava Daniels shows up asking for help. She is
like no other woman he has ever met—breathtakingly beautiful, brilliant, and in
terrible danger. Once he learns the true nature of her problem, Aiden realizes
she is the key to unlock his past . . . and perhaps to get a second chance.

Innocence & Betrayal, Book 2 of
the Hidden Truths series, is a stand-alone novel that features appearances from
some of your favorite characters in Book 1: Silenced Memories.

Hidden Truths is a new romantic
suspense series, which features ex-Marines in these stand-alone novels--no
cliffhangers. To avoid spoilers though, it is recommended that the books be
read in order, as characters make cameo appearances in other novels. Each book
in the series is riddled with mystery and romance, as lies and corruption are
unraveled to reveal the truth.

He shoved his
hands in his pockets and leaned back against the column once more. His sex
appeal was downright dangerous, she decided, as her eyes took in the length of
him. The contrast of his dark hair and blue eyes was a delicious sight to
behold on a man. It was a feature her twin was known for and, of course, Ava
had it, as well. But mixing in the broad shoulders, narrow hips, and
swoon-worthy Irish accent . . . she felt at once in strange territory, and yet
at home. He was like the best chocolate cake on earth—she wanted to eat the
whole thing.

Aiden
squinted his eyes at her a bit, pushed away from the column, and stalked
forward, closing the gap between them. “Let me walk you out.”

“But—”

He placed a
finger over her lips, silencing her. His touch caused some strange shock to
parachute throughout her system. “I’ll walk you out, and I’ll meet you wherever
you’re staying when I close up the bar tonight.”

When he
removed his finger from her lips, her instinctive reaction was to wet them.
“Oh. Okay.”

His hand
rested on the small of her back as he guided her toward the exit of the bar.
The cool air slapped her in the face as he pushed the door open. Where had that
sudden chill come from? As she turned to say goodbye, she noticed he was laser
focused on something behind her. “What is it?”

He gripped
her arm without speaking and tugged her back inside the bar, where he shoved
his free hand through already-messy hair. “Why are you being tailed by a Fed?”
he asked with a rough voice.

Her brows
snapped together and she looked down at his firm grasp on her wrist and back up
into his eyes. “I didn’t think I was.”

“A damn Fed
is parked outside my bar, and I get the distinct feeling it has something to do
with you.”

“How do you
know—” Before she could finish, Aiden jerked her forward, pulling her toward
the back of the bar. He pushed open a black door that read “Employees Only” and
turned to face her only once the door shut behind them.

They stood in
a narrow hallway—he was too close. His edginess rippled from his body in tidal
waves of crazy Irish energy. “I didn’t know I was being followed, but I can
explain why—it’s about Henry.”

He finally
released his grip and folded his arms. “I don’t want to be involved in this if
you are in some kind of trouble with the Feds.”

“So you’re
going to help me? You changed your mind?” Hope bounced around inside her before
it came crashing down in the realization of his recent words. “Or . . . you were going to help me—until you saw the
Fed?”

“Stay here,”
he ordered before heading back into the bar.

What the hell? She reached into her purse and pulled
out her phone while she waited for Mister Split Personality to come back. No
missed calls.

Before she
even realized he had returned, her phone was lifted from her hands.

“Strip.”

“What?”

He pulled her
farther down the hall and into an office. “Take off your clothes.”

“You’ve lost
your mind.”

“I need to
know you’re not wired.”

“What is with
the paranoia? I’m the one being followed—not you!” She crossed her arms and
stood firm. “Or is there something you aren’t telling me?”

“Your
undergarments. Bra and panties . . .” He moved toward her and held out his
hand. “Purse, please.”

She furrowed
her brow but handed it over to him. He tossed her bag on his desk and turned
back toward her, her cell phone still in his hand.

“I’m not
wired. I promise. And I would know if someone was tapping me. I have showered
since I was interrogated.”

His face
fell. “Since what?”

Oops. “It’s kind of a long story. I planned
on telling you later.”

“Just take
off your bloody clothes.” He leaned against the edge of his desk. “I’m powering
off your phone.”

“What is your
deal?” She still hadn’t removed an article of clothing. Over her dead body!

“Listen, I’m
not helping you if you don’t do what I say.”

Relief and
surprise settled in the pit of her stomach. But after his peculiar behavior,
could she even trust him? “So you’re going to help me?”

“Yes, I’ll
help you, but only if . . .”

She nodded as
she searched for some inner lioness to give her strength. “If I remove my damn
clothing?” she finished, mimicking his accent. She scowled at him, but followed
instructions. She pulled her blouse over her head in one swift movement, trying
to tuck away the fact of her shyness.

His eyes
shifted from her face to her nude demi bra. He moved toward her and she took a
step back, worried about his intentions. He circled around her and jutted his
chin forward, waving his hand at her jeans.

She was
pissed, but also strangely aroused to be stripping in front of him. Her hands
slipped to the button of her pants before she unzipped them. She slid them down
to her ankles, humiliation brightening her naturally honey-tan skin, which was
a gift from her Brazilian grandfather.

He dipped his
gaze down to her nude bikini bottoms and shifted his attention back up to her
face. “You can put your clothes back on.” He shut his eyes for a moment, as if
the image of her standing naked in his office was painful to him.

“Thank you,”
she spat while pulling up her pants. She extended her hand out toward him. “My
shirt, please?”

“Shit.
Sorry.” He shook his head and gave it back. “Where are you staying? A hotel?”

She nodded
once.

“Can’t take
you there and I don’t want to bring you to my place. We’ll go to another hotel,
for now.”

First she
stripped for him and now he was taking her to a hotel?

Brittney Sahin began writing at an early age, with the dream to be a published author before the age of 18. Although academic pursuits (and, later, a teaching career) interrupted her aspirations, she never stopped writing--never stopped imagining.

It wasn't until her students encouraged her to follow her dreams that Brittney said goodbye to Upstate New York in order to start a new adventure in the place she was raised: Charlotte, North Carolina. Here, she decided to take her students' advice and begin to write again.

In 2015, she published her first novel, Silenced Memories. When she is not working on upcoming novels, she spends time with her family. She is a proud mother of a spunky toddler and a lover of suspense novels, coffee, and the outdoors.